The one thing that I don't like about the latest book or conference on how to do ministry is that often they do not mention how messy ministry can be.
Let me explain what I mean about ministry being messy. You can not get involved in people's lives and expect everything to be neat and tidy. It doesn't work. The more you get to know people the more you realize that they have issues too. The more you get to know people the more you realize that sometimes your set of standards don't apply. My dad has a quote hanging up in his office that has caused more then one person to get upset, but it is so true. "People make rules to prevent from making decisions." We do that in ministry all the time. But maybe instead of making rules, we should rely on our gut. Examine every case on a person by person basis. Some would argue that is not fair. That might be true, but who ever said life was fair.
When you get down to ministering to people, when you get involved in their lives, it is going to get messy. It is not a nice pretty set of rules to follow. It is pure messiness. Don't you think it got messy when Jesus was hanging out with the women at the well, or when his disciples were eating on the Sabbath? Jesus' ministry was messy. If you want to make a difference, be prepared to get messy.
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